Dr. Marco-Felipe King

Lecturer in Building Engineering & Infection Transmission at the University of Leeds.

Pioneering research at the intersection of computational fluid dynamics, indoor air quality, and infection control to create healthier built environments.

1645+ Citations
22 h-index
45+ Publications
Contact Me Download CV Latest PhD Opportunities
Dr. Marco-Felipe King

Research affiliated with:

Latest Talk:
Nov 2025 Keynote Speaker at ASHRAE UK Chapter - London
Sep 2025 New paper published in Building & Environment on Far-UVC. Read it here.

About Me

I am a Lecturer in Building Engineering and Infection Transmission at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds. My research focuses on understanding how infectious diseases spread through the built environment via air and surfaces and developing evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission risks. My background is mathematical and computational, with a focus on epidemiology and environmental engineering and work closely with companies on air cleaning technology and the real-world implementation in the NHS.

Health Buildings Network Leeds

Co-Director

I recently discussed the future of hospital design and infection resilience in an exclusive interview with HBN Leeds.

Read Full Interview

WPE Director

Water, Public Health & Env. Eng.

UKIEG Committee

Webinar Coordinator

HBN Co-Director

Healthy Buildings Network

FHEA

Fellow of HE Academy

Academic Leadership

Water, Public Health & Environmental Engineering

One of the UK's leading research groups in environmental engineering, based in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds.

Research Group Director

Leading strategic vision, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and mentoring the next generation of environmental engineers.

Director since 2023
15 Academic Staff
50+ PhD Researchers
£10M+ Active Grants
2003 Established

Research Themes

Indoor Air

Pollutants, ventilation systems, and health impacts of indoor environments.

Your Primary Theme

BioResources

Sustainable technologies for resource recovery and circular economy.

Public Health

Environmental health challenges with evidence-based solutions.

Sanitation

Sustainable sanitation systems for improved global health outcomes.

Water

Water pathways and engineering solutions for global challenges.

Explore WPE Research Group

Research in Motion

Visualising invisible risks through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Hospital Ward Airflow

High-fidelity simulation of particle dispersion from a cough in a four-bed hospital ward for demonstration purposes.

Smoke Tracer

Visualising the movement of air in a 6-bed Nightingale ward.

Lattice-Boltzmann Method

Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of airflow around obstacles on GPU.

Computational Fluid Dynamics in the Urban Environment

CFD of airflow around a high-rise building showing streamlines coloured by velocity magnitude and velocity contours.

Research Collaborators

Building healthier environments through interdisciplinary partnerships

Prof. Catherine Noakes

Prof. Catherine Noakes

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildigs

University of Leeds

CFD Infection Control Ventilation Building Performance
25+ joint papers
Prof. Andrew Sleigh

Prof. Andrew Sleigh

Professor of Fluid Dynamics

University of Leeds

CFD Lattice Boltzmann
18 joint papers
Prof. Martín López García

Prof. Martín López García

Professor of Mathemtical Biology

University of Leeds

Epidemiology Quantitative Microbiobal Risk Assessment Bayesian inference
15 joint papers
Assistant Prof. Amanda Wilson

Assistant Prof. Amanda Wilson

Professor of Medical Engineering

University of Arizona

Risk trade-off analysis Surface Infection Transmission QMRA
12 joint papers
Prof. Janet Barlow

Prof. Janet Barlow

Professor of Environmental Physics

University of Reading

Atmospheric Physics Measurement
8 joint papers
Dr. Amirul Khan

Dr. Amirul Khan

Lecturer in Fluid Dynamics

University of Leeds

Computational Fluid Dynamics Lattice-Boltzmann Method Indoor and Outdoor Airlfow Prediction
15 joint papers
Prof. Chuck Gerba

Prof. Chuck Gerba

Infectious Disease Transmission

University of Arizona

Infectious Disease Transmission Airborne Risk Hand Hygiene and Surface Cleaning
5 joint papers
Prof. Stephanie Dancer

Prof. Stephanie Dancer

Clinical Microbiology

Edinburgh Napier University

Infectious Disease Transmission Airborne Risk Hand Hygiene and Surface Cleaning
5 joint papers
Dr. Nan Zhang

Dr. Nan Zhang

Infection Prevention Teams

Beijing University of Technology

Infectious Disease Transmission Risk Analysis Surface Contact Modelling
10 joint papers

Research Themes

Infection Control
COVID-19 · Bioaerosols · SARS-CoV-2
Hospital Environments
Ventilation · Indoor Air · Surfaces
Computational Fluid Dynamics
CFD · Lattice Boltzmann · Urban Flow
Prevention & Mitigation
Masks · Hand Hygiene · Risk Assessment

PhD Research Group

Mentoring the next generation of engineers and scientists

Xiaoxuan Qin

Xiaoxuan Qin

PhD Candidate

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment techniques for fomite transmission.

Anushi Khandare

Anushi Khandare

PhD Candidate

Evaluating the effect of air air cleaning devices in hospital air and surface microbial samples.

Danny Blundell

Danny Blundell

PhD Candidate

Distribution of microbial pathogens in aerosols and the implications for airborne transmission.

Rebecca Sale

Rebecca Sale

PhD Candidate

Managing at home in times of crisis: how climate, COVID-19 and cost of living crises intersect in everyday life.

Ciara Higham

Dr. Ciara Higham

PDRA University of Sheffield

Characterising a time-dependent automatic microorganisms sampler: AMPAS

Bushra Hasan

Dr. Bushra Hasan

Bolton City Council

Investigating the influence of user behaviours and toilet design on SARS-CoV-2 exposure in shared sanitation facilities.

Jemma Phillips

Dr. Jemma Phillips

Lecturer

Characterising gastrointestinal pathogen exposure from distal and proximal sources in New Delhi.

Alexander Edwards

Dr. Alexander Edwards

Lecturer University of Bristol

Evaluating infection risk in hospital multi-bed wards using Wells-Riley.

Waseem Hiwar

Dr. Waseem Hiwar

PDRA University of Leeds

Characterisation of bioaerosols in hospital patient wards.

Yoonhee Jung

Yoonhee Jung

PhD University of Arizona

Risk-risk tradeoffs and risk-perception study associated with cleaning and disinfection (C&D) using “green” products.

Information for Prospective PhDs

Yes, I am looking for motivated students for the 2025/26 academic year. I am particularly interested in candidates with backgrounds in Fluid Dynamics, Applied Mathematics, or Civil Engineering.

My research is computationally intensive. Experience with CFD (OpenFOAM, Ansys) or programming (Python, C++, Matlab) is highly desirable. However, I also supervise experimental projects where lab skills are prioritised.

Funding is competitive. I support applications for EPSRC DTP scholarships and University of Leeds research scholarships. If you have self-funding or government sponsorship, please state this clearly in your initial email.

Selected Publications

Key peer-reviewed research outputs — view full list on Google Scholar

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Get in Touch

Interested in collaboration, supervision, or just want to chat about healthy buildings?

Email

m.f.king@leeds.ac.uk

Office

School of Civil Engineering
University of Leeds